tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67835287339467410502024-03-13T21:55:18.583-07:00Writing with HitchcockNews, reviews, comments, criticism, and original videos about Alfred Hitchcock, his screenwriters, and the movies in general. Offspring of Steven DeRosa's book Writing with Hitchcock.stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-41704871679475219792015-04-10T06:51:00.000-07:002015-04-10T06:52:23.595-07:0039 Steps Back on Stage
It's back! If you missed this show during its last run -- or have been
waiting to see it again -- now's your chance. Part-spoof, part-homage,
and 100% entertaining!
I had the pleasure of hosting the last Talk Back during the last New York run, and hope to be doing that again. So stay tuned for an announcement!
In the meantime, the producers are offering ticket specials you will want stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-9687651794560402312013-02-15T17:30:00.001-08:002013-02-16T04:17:28.827-08:00Hitchcock's Ghost: James AllardiceIt was forty-seven years ago today that Alfred Hitchcock's ghostwriter, James Allardice, died suddenly of a heart attack. For a little more than a decade, Allardice penned the introductions and closings that helped transform the British filmmaker into a household word in the US through his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and its hour-long incarnation, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Even stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-12060309461310610912013-01-31T19:12:00.000-08:002013-01-31T19:12:03.992-08:00An Inconsequential Yarn: Writing Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-92166680810861892642012-12-16T07:36:00.000-08:002012-12-16T08:36:27.972-08:00Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Review
The most anticipated Blu-ray release of the year shipped a few weeks ago—Universal’s Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection. I’ve gone through the individual titles to give an extensive review.
Now depending on whether you go for the US or the UK release, the set comes with 15 or 14 titles. The US edition includes a reissue of the Warner Brother’s 50th Anniversary Blu-ray release of NORTH BYstevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-76554961845640311862012-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:002012-11-18T10:23:38.353-08:00Rear Window in 3D?!?
Mock up of the bogus 3D Blu-ray packaging complete with Rear Window binocular cut-out glasses included.
In 1953 while under contract to Warner Bros., Alfred Hitchcock embarked on a screen adaptation of Frederick Knott's stage hit Dial M for Murder. At the same time that he was preparing to film his Warner picture, he began planning Rear Window for Paramount. Both films would be technically stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-78585175910589215442012-08-31T12:51:00.001-07:002012-11-18T09:25:07.354-08:00Hitchcock Perfects His Craft with SABOTAGE
I've always had a fondness for Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage, while being fully aware that it is in many ways the darkest of what has long been known as the classic thriller sextette from the director's British period, that string of films done mostly in collaboration with screenwriter Charles Bennett that includes The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Secret Agent, Young and Innocent, and Thestevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-55511142066262881512012-08-06T11:46:00.000-07:002012-08-06T05:34:36.539-07:00Hitchcock@113, August 13 in NYC
It's hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since what seemed like a year of centenary celebrations for Alfred Hitchcock in 1999. I hope you will come and join me as I mark Hitchcock's 113th at Barnes & Noble in Union Square.
Event Details
Having lived in Westchester County for a good part of my life, I've enjoyed the view of the Palisades, the cliffs that run stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-51079310227844975072012-07-28T05:36:00.001-07:002012-07-28T06:42:02.713-07:00Re-restoring Hitchcock's VERTIGOThis weekend, New Yorkers have a rare opportunity to see Vertigo the way Alfred Hitchcock intended—in 35mm IB Technicolor, with its original soundtrack. The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria will be screening a print from the film's 1958 first run, just as they had done in the summer of 1996, a few months prior to the premiere of the much-heraleded and much-hyped "restoration" by Robert stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-62281080219091092082012-06-13T13:40:00.000-07:002012-06-13T13:42:14.453-07:00Hitchcock On Tap
I
can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than combining
two things that I love—Hitchcock and beer—but even more specifically,
talking about Hitchcock movies and enjoying one of my favorite brews
from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company.
I am very pleased that I will get to do that this coming Saturday as
they're hosting their very first book event—and honored stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-55529514312767146352012-01-18T13:56:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:56:32.393-08:00Remembering Cary Grant on His 108th BirthdayOn this day in 1904, Archibald Leach was born. He left an indelible mark on cinema and our culture as Cary Grant. He was, in the opinion of so many of his fans, the personification of elegance.
Screenwriter John Michael Hayes shared many memories of his experiences with Grant during the making of Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, as well as another unproduced project that was intended for the actor. stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-56268051754982348982011-12-31T14:37:00.000-08:002011-12-31T14:37:19.339-08:00New Year's Eve Champagne Tips Courtesy of Alfred HitchcockA few tips from the Master of Suspense to guide you through your champagne toast into 2012:
Tip #1: When popping the cork, aim away from your guests (or the camera).
Tip #2: Try not to spill it all when opening.
Tip #3: Make sure you have enough on hand and chilled to last the entire evening. Don't be like Alex Sebastian.
Tip #4: If you're hosting, try not to drink too much before stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-35814130056190403412011-12-27T03:46:00.000-08:002011-12-27T03:47:08.742-08:00Twelve Days of Hitchcock Christmas
A bit of fun with the Twelve Days of Christmas from a Hitchcockian perspective. Thanks to Eboni Cameron, Edri Hill and Tyena Smith for lending their voices and enthusiasm. Merry Christmas!stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-29812768715611637912011-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:002011-11-07T13:11:56.825-08:00John Michael Hayes In His Own Words on Writing with Hitchcock
John Michael Hayes would have turned 92 this week, so I thought I'd share some excerpts of our conversations for Writing with Hitchcock. Hayes discusses what the collaboration did for he and Hitchcock, the process of breaking down scenes into a shooting script, Hitchcock's method of working with actors, and much more. Enjoy!stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-61988403677574116542011-09-18T20:34:00.000-07:002011-09-18T20:34:00.602-07:00Writing with Hitchcock: Mondays with Hitchcock — Fall 2011Writing with Hitchcock: Mondays with Hitchcock — Fall 2011: If you're in the New York area I hope you will join me this fall for Mondays with Hitchcock . I've put together two programs for Westchester...stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-60860627622281682192011-09-18T20:32:00.000-07:002011-09-18T20:32:53.989-07:00Mondays with Hitchcock — Fall 2011If you're in the New York area I hope you will join me this fall for Mondays with Hitchcock. I've put together two programs for Westchester Community College, six sessions each, where we'll be screening and discussing scenes, sequences and films of Alfred Hitchcock. Each night will have its own theme, and some rare items will be screened as well, including a the silent version of Blackmail.
stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-43794250415162444002011-07-08T10:43:00.000-07:002011-07-08T10:56:37.723-07:00Hitchcock's Repeated CompositionsWe were discussing the similarity of the technique used in creating these two "trick shots" which reveal simultaneous action from The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo at the WWH Facebook page, and it got me thinking about other images and juxtaposed shots that Hitchcock repeated in his films—kind of like the second Mrs. De Winter's father who liked the paint the same tree over again.
Here are stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-11470132159908073822011-06-22T16:20:00.000-07:002011-06-22T16:21:37.328-07:00The Real "Rear Window" Courtyard
To mark the 58th anniversary of John Michael Hayes beginning work on Rear Window I decided to visit the actual Greenwich Village courtyard that was used as the model for the spectacular set of that was built on Paramount's Stage 18. Here you will how the architectual details and the proximity to the neighborhood police precinct inspired the setting and were incorporated into the set sketches, stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-88465995387458324692011-05-27T13:05:00.000-07:002011-05-27T15:29:22.690-07:00Hitchcock LoglinesEarly in his career Hitchcock said that his method of preparing a screenplay with his writers generally stripping the story down to the bare essentials which he would outline on a single page. The next step involved fleshing out that outline into a prose treatment of about 60 to 90 pages, from which the final screenplay with dialogue developed. Hitchcock said, if he was successful in the process,stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-23681945587097335152011-05-06T15:35:00.000-07:002011-05-06T15:50:14.537-07:00Hitch-Collaborators I've Encountered, Part II — Or Why I Didn't Call This "The Man Who'd Spew Too Much"Before deciding to make this a two-part entry and include a few words about screenwriter Joseph Stefano, I had intended this piece to be strictly about Hitchcock's assistant director and associate producer Herbert Coleman and was going to title it something along the lines of The Man Who'd Spew Too Much. But thinking twice, I know that Coleman was merely trying to salvage his own reputation,stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-21327453913437683922011-04-30T10:07:00.000-07:002011-04-30T10:07:32.740-07:00The Hitchcock Kiss
Recently on our Facebook page we discussed our favorite kisses in Hitchcock's films, and so here we have the Hitchcock Kiss, with a nod to Joel Gunz whose recent posts on hit Alfred Hitchcock Geek blog have pointed to the influence of sculptor Augusts Rodin on Hitchcock's work. Well worth your time to check out!stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-49200246382737612522011-04-30T09:35:00.000-07:002011-04-30T10:11:24.025-07:00A Look Back at Some of Hitch's Collaborators I've EncounteredThirty-one years go yesterday, Alfred Hitchcock passed away. I do not think he would be at all surprised to know that the mark he left on cinema and on pop culture continues and shows no signs of waning. Earlier this week I made a return appearance on The Radio Dan Show where regular guest Joel Gunz (you know him as Alfred Hitchcock Geek), host Dan Delgado, and the "super-hot" stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-83637249802877237132011-02-10T12:36:00.000-08:002011-02-10T13:41:20.220-08:00In response to news of a proposed remake of Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too MuchI can hear the pitch now … why remake when we can make it a sequel?
It’s 2012…and Hank Conway…um, I mean McKenna, now in his mid-60s has arrived in Washington DC to attend the Kennedy Center Honors which is being awarded posthumously to his mother Jo the following evening. After checking into his hotel suite, he telephones his daughter Joanna who is traveling by train to meet him. Joanna has a stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-53046103531728869482011-01-17T10:10:00.000-08:002011-01-17T10:11:29.264-08:00Hitchcock Locations Photo Contest It's that time again! We're having another contest. This time your assignment is to put yourself in L.B. Jefferies's shoes, grab your trusty camera, and snap some shots of Hitchcock locations. I'm hoping we get some totally unexpected entries. Happy hunting!Visit our Facebook Page for details! stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-83988615456400781902011-01-11T18:58:00.000-08:002011-01-11T19:22:19.543-08:00To Catch a Thief comes to the radio in new adapationIn case you missed last Saturday's BBC 4 broadcast of To Catch a Thief(which will be online until 1/15/2011), here's my brief review.
Naturally, as I cover the writing and production of To Catch a Thief in great detail in Writing with Hitchcock (in addition to the novel's origins), I listened to the BBC 4 broadcast with a great familiarity to David Dodge’s novel and with a keen ear to pick up stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783528733946741050.post-6670767640858213212010-12-25T10:09:00.000-08:002010-12-25T10:09:03.582-08:00Alfred Hitchcock's Favorite Crime: The Case of Dr. CrippenA Christmas treat courtesy of hulu.com...the Alfred Hitchcock directed episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Back for Christmas, followed by a little background on Hitchcock's favorite crime. Enjoy!
That Alfred Hitchcock possessed one of the most complete collections of literature relating to true crime is a well-known fact. Frequently elements from the most notorious criminal cases found stevenderosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12177030989910431727noreply@blogger.com0